arXiv subjects

Brian Siana

Publications and source records attributed to Brian Siana.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

The MOSDEF Survey: Significant Evolution in the Rest-Frame Optical Emission Line Equivalent Widths of Star-Forming Galaxies at z=1.4-3.8

We use extensive spectroscopy from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey to investigate the relationships between rest-frame optical emission line equivalent widths ($W$) and a number of galaxy and ISM characteristics for a sample of $1134$ star-forming galaxies at redshifts $1.4\lesssim z\lesssim 3.8$. We examine how the equivalent widths of [OII]$λλ3727, 3730$, H$β$, [OIII]$λλ4960, 5008$, [OIII]$+$H$β$, H$α$, and H$α$+[NII]$λλ6550, 6585$, depend on stellar mass, UV slope, age, star-formation rate (SFR) and specific SFR (sSFR), ionization parameter and excitation conditions (O32 and [OIII]/H$β$), gas-phase metallicity, and ionizing photon production efficiency ($ξ_{\rm ion}$). The trend of increasing $W$ with decreasing stellar mass is strongest for [OIII] (and [OIII]+H$β$). More generally, the equivalent widths of all the lines increase with redshift at a fixed stellar mass or fixed gas-phase metallicity, suggesting that high equivalent width galaxies are common at high redshift. This redshift evolution in equivalent widths can be explained by the increase in SFR and decrease in metallicity with redshift at a fixed stellar mass. Consequently, the dependence of $W$ on sSFR is largely invariant with redshift, particularly when examined for galaxies of a given metallicity. Our results show that high equivalent width galaxies, specifically those with high $W({\rm [OIII]})$, have low stellar masses, blue UV slopes, young ages, high sSFRs, ISM line ratios indicative of high ionization parameters, high $ξ_{\rm ion}$, and low metallicities. As these characteristics are often attributed to galaxies with high ionizing escape fractions, galaxies with high $W$ are likely candidates for the population that dominates cosmic reionization.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

The MOSDEF Survey: Stellar Continuum Spectra and Star Formation Histories of Active, Transitional, and Quiescent Galaxies at 1.4$<$\lowercase{z}$<$2.6

Using the MOSDEF rest-frame optical spectroscopic survey, we investigate the star-formation histories (SFHs) of different galaxy types, ranging from actively star forming to quiescent at $1.4\leq~z\leq2.6$. SFHs are constrained utilizing stellar continuum spectroscopy, specifically through a combination of Balmer absorption lines, the 4000$Å$ break, and the equivalent width of the H$α$ emission line. To attain a sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) to conduct these measurements we stack spectra of galaxies with similar spectral types, as determined from their rest-frame $U-V$ and $V-J$ colors. We bin the MOSDEF sample into five spectral types, subdividing the quiescent and star-forming bins to better explore galaxies transitioning between the two. We constrain the average SFHs for each type, finding that quiescent and transitional galaxies in the MOSDEF sample are dominated by an SFH with an average star-formation timescale of $τ\sim0.1-0.2$~Gyr. These findings contrast with measurements from the low-redshift Universe where, on average, galaxies form their stars over a more extended time period ($τ>1$~Gyr). Furthermore, our spectral index measurements correlate with mass surface density for all spectral types. Finally, we compare the average properties of the galaxies in our transitional bins to investigate possible paths to quiescence, and speculate on the viability of a dusty post-starburst phase.

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arXiv2018

The MOSDEF survey: a stellar mass-SFR-metallicity relation exists at $z\sim2.3$

We investigate the nature of the relation among stellar mass, star-formation rate, and gas-phase metallicity (the M$_*$-SFR-Z relation) at high redshifts using a sample of 260 star-forming galaxies at $z\sim2.3$ from the MOSDEF survey. We present an analysis of the high-redshift M$_*$-SFR-Z relation based on several emission-line ratios for the first time. We show that a M$_*$-SFR-Z relation clearly exists at $z\sim2.3$. The strength of this relation is similar to predictions from cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. By performing a direct comparison of stacks of $z\sim0$ and $z\sim2.3$ galaxies, we find that $z\sim2.3$ galaxies have $\sim0.1$ dex lower metallicity at fixed M$_*$ and SFR. In the context of chemical evolution models, this evolution of the M$_*$-SFR-Z relation suggests an increase with redshift of the mass-loading factor at fixed M$_*$, as well as a decrease in the metallicity of infalling gas that is likely due to a lower importance of gas recycling relative to accretion from the intergalactic medium at high redshifts. Performing this analysis simultaneously with multiple metallicity-sensitive line ratios allows us to rule out the evolution in physical conditions (e.g., N/O ratio, ionization parameter, and hardness of the ionizing spectrum) at fixed metallicity as the source of the observed trends with redshift and with SFR at fixed M$_*$ at $z\sim2.3$. While this study highlights the promise of performing high-order tests of chemical evolution models at high redshifts, detailed quantitative comparisons ultimately await a full understanding of the evolution of metallicity calibrations with redshift.

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arXiv2018

THE MOSDEF SURVEY: The Nature of Mid-Infrared Excess Galaxies and a Comparison of IR and UV Star Formation Tracers at z~2

We present an analysis using the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey on the nature of "MIR-excess" galaxies, which have star formation rates (SFR) inferred from mid-infrared (MIR) data that is substantially elevated relative to that estimated from dust-corrected UV data. We use a sample of $\sim$200 galaxies and AGN at $1.40<z<2.61$ with 24 $μ$m detections (rest-frame 8$μ$m) from MIPS/\textit{Spitzer}. We find that the identification of MIR-excess galaxies strongly depends on the methodologies used to estimate IR luminosity ($\rm L_{IR}$) and to correct the UV light for dust attenuation. We find that extrapolations of the SFR from the observed 24 $μ$m flux, using luminosity-dependent templates based on local galaxies, substantially overestimate $\rm L_{IR}$ in $z\sim2$ galaxies. By including \textit{Herschel} observations and using a stellar mass-dependent, luminosity-independent $\rm L_{IR}$, we obtain more reliable estimates of the SFR and a lower fraction of MIR-excess galaxies. Once stellar mass selection biases are taken into account, we identify $\sim24\%$ of our galaxies as MIR-excess. However, $\rm SFR_{Hα}$ is not elevated in MIR-excess galaxies compared to MIR-normal galaxies, indicating that the intrinsic fraction of MIR-excess may be lower. Using X-ray, IR, and optically-selected AGN in MOSDEF, we do not find a higher prevalence for AGN in MIR-excess galaxies relative to MIR-normal galaxies. A stacking analysis of X-ray undetected galaxies does not reveal a harder spectrum in MIR-excess galaxies relative to MIR-normal galaxies. Our analysis indicates that AGN activity does not contribute substantially to the MIR excess and instead implies that it is likely due to the enhanced PAH emission.

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arXiv2018

Galaxy-galaxy lensing in the outskirts of CLASH clusters: constraints on local shear and testing mass-luminosity scaling relation

We present a selection of 24 candidate galaxy-galaxy lensing (GGLs) identified from Hubble images in the outskirts of the massive galaxy clusters from the CLASH survey. These GGLs provide insights into the mass distributions at larger scales than the strong lensing region in the cluster cores. We built parametric mass models for three of these GGLs showing simple lensing configurations, in order to assess the properties of their lens and its environment. We show that the local shear estimated from the GGLs traces the gravitational potential of the clusters at 1-2 arcmin radial distance, allowing us to derive their velocity dispersion. We also find a good agreement between the strength of the shear measured at the GGL positions through strong-lensing modelling and the value derived independently from a weak-lensing analysis of the background sources. Overall, we show the advantages of using single GGL events in the outskirts of clusters to robustly constrain the local shear, even when only photometric redshift estimates are known for the source. We argue that the mass-luminosity scaling relation of cluster members can be tested by modelling the GGLs found around them, and show that the mass parameters can vary up to $\sim$30% between the cluster and GGL models assuming this scaling relation.

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arXiv2018

The MOSDEF Survey: Direct Observational Constraints on the Ionizing Photon Production Efficiency, $ξ_{\rm ion}$, at z~2

We combine spectroscopic measurements of H$α$ and H$β$ and UV continuum photometry for a sample of 673 galaxies from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field survey to constrain hydrogen ionizing photon production efficiencies ($ξ_{\rm ion}$, xi_ion) at z=1.4-2.6. We find average log(xi_ion/[Hz erg$^{-1}$])=25.06 (25.34), assuming the Calzetti (SMC) curve for the UV dust correction and a scatter of 0.28 dex in xi_ion distribution. After accounting for observational uncertainties and variations in dust attenuation, we conclude that the remaining scatter in xi_ion is likely dominated by galaxy-to-galaxy variations in stellar populations, including the slope and upper-mass cutoff of the initial mass function, stellar metallicity, star-formation burstiness, and stellar evolution (e.g., single/binary star evolution). Moreover, xi_ion is elevated in galaxies with high ionization states (high [OIII]/[OII]) and low oxygen abundances (low [NII]/H$α$ and high [OIII]/H$β$) in the ionized ISM. However, xi_ion does not correlate with the offset from the z~0 star-forming locus in the BPT diagram, suggesting no change in the hardness of ionizing radiation accompanying the offset from the z~0 sequence. We also find that galaxies with blue UV spectral slopes ($\langleβ\rangle$=-2.1) have elevated xi_ion by a factor of ~2 relative to the average xi_ion of the sample ($\langleβ\rangle$=-1.4). If these blue galaxies are similar to those at z > 6, our results suggest that a lower Lyman continuum escape fraction is required for galaxies to maintain reionization, compared to the canonical xi_ion predictions from stellar population models. Furthermore, we demonstrate that even with robustly dust-corrected H$α$, the UV dust attenuation can cause on average a ~0.3dex systematic uncertainty in xi_ion calculations.

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arXiv2017

The MOSDEF Survey: Broad Emission Lines at z=1.4-3.8

We present results from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey on broad flux from the nebular emission lines H$α$, [NII], [OIII], H$β$, and [SII]. The sample consists of 127 star-forming galaxies at $1.37 < z < 2.61$ and 84 galaxies at $2.95 < z < 3.80$. We decompose the emission lines using narrow ($\text{FWHM} < 275 \ \text{km s}^{-1}$) and broad ($\text{FWHM} > 300 \ \text{km s}^{-1}$) Gaussian components for individual galaxies and stacks. Broad emission is detected at $>3σ$ in $<10$% of galaxies and the broad flux accounts for 10-70% of the total flux. We find a slight increase in broad to narrow flux ratio with mass but note that we cannot reliably detect broad emission with $\text{FWHM} < 275 \ \text{km s}^{-1}$, which may be significant at low masses. Notably, there is a correlation between higher signal-to-noise (S/N) spectra and a broad component detection indicating a S/N dependence in our ability to detect broad flux. When placed on the N2-BPT diagram ([OIII]/H$β$ vs. [NII]/H$α$) the broad components of the stacks are shifted towards higher [OIII]/H$β$ and [NII]/$α$ ratios compared to the narrow component. We compare the location of the broad components to shock models and find that the broad component could be due to shocks, but we do not rule out other possibilities such as the presence of an AGN. We estimate the mass loading factor (mass outflow rate/star formation rate) assuming the broad component is a photoionized outflow and find that the mass loading factor increases as a function of mass which agrees with previous studies. We show that adding emission from shocked gas to $z\sim0$ SDSS spectra shifts galaxies towards the location of $z\sim2$ galaxies on several emission line diagnostic diagrams.

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arXiv2017

The MOSDEF survey: the prevalence and properties of galaxy-wide AGN-driven outflows at $z\sim 2$

Using observations from the first two years of the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey, we study 13 AGN-driven outflows detected from a sample of 67 X-ray, IR and/or optically-selected AGN at $z \sim 2$. The AGN have bolometric luminosities of $\sim10^{44}-10^{46} ~\mathrm{erg~s^{-1}}$, including both quasars and moderate-luminosity AGN. We detect blueshifted, ionized gas outflows in the H$β$ , [OIII], H$α$ ~and/or [NII] emission lines of $19\%$ of the AGN, while only 1.8\% of the MOSDEF galaxies have similarly-detected outflows. The outflow velocities span $\sim$300 to 1000 km s$^{-1}$. Eight of the 13 outflows are spatially extended on similar scales as the host galaxies, with spatial extents of 2.5 to 11.0 kpc. Outflows are detected uniformly across the star-forming main sequence, showing little trend with the host galaxy SFR. Line ratio diagnostics indicate that the outflowing gas is photoionized by the AGN. We do not find evidence for positive AGN feedback, in either our small MOSDEF sample or a much larger SDSS sample, using the BPT diagram. Given that a galaxy with an AGN is ten times more likely to have a detected outflow, the outflowing gas is photoionzed by the AGN, and estimates of the mass and energy outflow rates indicate that stellar feedback is insufficient to drive at least some of these outflows, they are very likely to be AGN-driven. The outflows have mass-loading factors of the order of unity, suggesting that they help regulate star formation in their host galaxies, though they may be insufficient to fully quench it.

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arXiv2017

The MOSDEF Survey: First Measurement of Nebular Oxygen Abundance at $z>4$

We present the first spectroscopic measurement of multiple rest-frame optical emission lines at $z>4$. During the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey, we observed the galaxy GOODSN-17940 with the Keck I/MOSFIRE spectrograph. The K-band spectrum of GOODSN-17940 includes significant detections of the [OII]$λλ3726,3729$, [NeIII]$\lambda3869$, and H$γ$ emission lines and a tentative detection of H$δ$, indicating $z_{\rm{spec}}=4.4121$. GOODSN-17940 is an actively star-forming $z>4$ galaxy based on its K-band spectrum and broadband spectral energy distribution. A significant excess relative to the surrounding continuum is present in the Spitzer/IRAC channel 1 photometry of GOODSN-17940, due primarily to strong H$α$ emission with a rest-frame equivalent width of $\mbox{EW(H}α)=1200$ Å. Based on the assumption of $0.5 Z_{\odot}$ models and the Calzetti attenuation curve, GOODSN-17940 is characterized by $M_*=5.0^{+4.3}_{-0.2}\times 10^9 M_{\odot}$. The Balmer decrement inferred from H$α$/H$γ$ is used to dust correct the H$α$ emission, yielding $\mbox{SFR(H}α)=320^{+190}_{-140} M_{\odot}\mbox{ yr}^{-1}$. These $M_*$ and SFR values place GOODSN-17940 an order of magnitude in SFR above the $z\sim 4$ star-forming "main sequence." Finally, we use the observed ratio of [NeIII]/[OII] to estimate the nebular oxygen abundance in GOODSN-17940, finding $\mbox{O/H}\sim 0.2 \mbox{ (O/H)}_{\odot}$. Combining our new [NeIII]/[OII] measurement with those from stacked spectra at $z\sim 0, 2, \mbox{ and } 3$, we show that GOODSN-17940 represents an extension to $z>4$ of the evolution towards higher [NeIII]/[OII] (i.e., lower $\mbox{O/H}$) at fixed stellar mass. It will be possible to perform the measurements presented here out to $z\sim 10$ using the James Webb Space Telescope.

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arXiv2017

Constraining C iii] Emission in a Sample of Five Luminous z = 5.7 Galaxies

Recent observations have suggested that the CIII]$\lambda1907/1909$ emission lines could be alternative diagnostic lines for galaxies in the reionization epoch. We use the F128N narrowband filter on the Hubble Space Telescope's ($\it{HST}$) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) to search for CIII] emission in a sample of five galaxies at z = 5.7 in the Subaru Deep Field and the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field. Using the F128N narrowband imaging, together with the broadband imaging, we do not detect CIII] emission for the five galaxies with $J_{\rm{AB}}$ ranging from 24.10 -- 27.00 in our sample. For the brightest galaxy J132416.13+274411.6 in our sample (z = 5.70, $J_{\rm{AB}} = 24.10$), which has a significantly higher signal to noise, we report a CIII] flux of $3.34\pm1.81 \times 10^{-18}$ $\mathrm{erg\ s^{-1}\ cm^{-2}}$, which places a stringent 3-$\rmσ$ upper limit of $5.43\times 10^{-18}$ $\mathrm{erg\ s^{-1}\ cm^{-2}}$ on CIII] flux and 6.57 Å on the CIII] equivalent width. Using the stacked image, we put a 3-$\rmσ$ upper limit on the mean CIII] flux of $\mathrm{2.55\times10^{-18}\ erg\ s^{-1}\ cm^{-2}}$, and a 3-$\rmσ$ upper limit on the mean CIII] equivalent width of 4.20 Å for this sample of galaxies at z = 5.70. Combined with strong CIII] detection reported among high-z galaxies in the literature, our observations suggest that the equivalent widths of CIII] from galaxies at z $>$ 5.70 exhibit a wide range of distribution. Our strong limits on CIII] emission could be used as a guide for future observations in the reionization epoch.

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arXiv2017

The Lyman Continuum escape fraction of emission line-selected $z\sim2.5$ galaxies is less than 15%

Recent work suggests that strong emission line, star-forming galaxies may be significant Lyman Continuum leakers. We combine archival HST broadband ultraviolet and optical imaging (F275W and F606W, respectively) with emission line catalogs derived from WFC3 IR G141 grism spectroscopy to search for escaping Lyman Continuum (LyC) emission from homogeneously selected $z\simeq$2.5 SFGs. We detect no escaping Lyman Continuum from SFGs selected on [OII] nebular emission (N=208) and, within a narrow redshift range, on [OIII]/[OII]. We measure 1$σ$ upper limits to the LyC escape fraction relative to the non-ionizing UV continuum from [OII] emitters, $f_{esc}<$5.6%, and strong [OIII]/[OII]$>$5 ELGs, $f_{esc}<$14.0%. Our observations are not deep enough to detect $f_{esc}\lesssim$10% typical of the low redshift Lyman continuum emitters. However, we find that this population represents a small fraction of the star-forming galaxy population at $z\simeq$2. Thus, unless the number of extreme emission line galaxies grows substantially to z$>$6, such galaxies may be insufficient for reionization. Deeper survey data in the rest-frame ionizing UV will be necessary to determine whether strong line ratios could be useful for pre-selecting LyC leakers at high redshift.

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arXiv2017

UVUDF: UV Luminosity Functions at the cosmic high-noon

We present the rest-1500Å UV luminosity functions (LF) for star-forming galaxies during the cosmic \textit{high noon} -- the peak of cosmic star formation rate at $1.5<z<3$. We use deep NUV imaging data obtained as part of the \textit{Hubble} Ultra-Violet Ultra Deep Field (UVUDF) program, along with existing deep optical and NIR coverage on the HUDF. We select F225W, F275W and F336W dropout samples using the Lyman break technique, along with samples in the corresponding redshift ranges selected using photometric redshifts and measure the rest-frame UV LF at $z\sim1.7,2.2,3.0$ respectively, using the modified maximum likelihood estimator. We perform simulations to quantify the survey and sample incompleteness for the UVUDF samples to correct the effective volume calculations for the LF. We select galaxies down to $M_{UV}=-15.9,-16.3,-16.8$ and fit a faint-end slope of $α=-1.20^{+0.10}_{-0.13}, -1.32^{+0.10}_{-0.14}, -1.39^{+0.08}_{-0.12}$ at $1.4<z<1.9$, $1.8<z<2.6$, and $2.4<z<3.6$, respectively. We compare the star formation properties of $z\sim2$ galaxies from these UV observations with results from Hα and UV$+$IR observations. We find a lack of high SFR sources in the UV LF compared to the Hα and UV$+$IR, likely due to dusty SFGs not being properly accounted for by the generic $IRX-β$ relation used to correct for dust. We compute a volume-averaged UV-to-Hα ratio by \textit{abundance matching} the rest-frame UV LF and Hα LF. We find an increasing UV-to-Hα ratio towards low mass galaxies ($M_\star \lesssim 5\times10^9$ M$_\odot$). We conclude that this could be due to a larger contribution from starbursting galaxies compared to the high-mass end.

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arXiv2017

The MOSDEF Survey: Metallicity Dependence of the PAH Emission at High Redshift and Implications for 24 micron-inferred IR Luminosities and Star Formation Rates at z~2

We present results on the variation of 7.7 micron Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) emission in galaxies spanning a wide range in metallicity at z ~ 2. For this analysis, we use rest-frame optical spectra of 476 galaxies at 1.37 < z < 2.61 from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey to infer metallicities and ionization states. Spitzer/MIPS 24 micron and Herschel/PACS 100 and 160 micron observations are used to derive rest-frame 7.7 micron luminosities (L(7.7)) and total IR luminosities (L(IR)), respectively. We find significant trends between the ratio of L(7.7) to L(IR) (and to dust-corrected SFR) and both metallicity and [OIII]/[OII] (O32) emission-line ratio. The latter is an empirical proxy for the ionization parameter. These trends indicate a paucity of PAH emission in low metallicity environments with harder and more intense radiation fields. Additionally, L(7.7)/L(IR) is significantly lower in the youngest quartile of our sample (ages of 500 Myr) compared to older galaxies, which may be a result of the delayed production of PAHs by AGB stars. The relative strength of L(7.7) to L(IR) is also lower by a factor of ~ 2 for galaxies with masses $M_* < 10^{10}M_{\odot}$, compared to the more massive ones. We demonstrate that commonly-used conversions of L(7.7) (or 24 micron flux density; f(24)) to L(IR) underestimate the IR luminosity by more than a factor of 2 at $M_*$ ~ $10^{9.6-10.0} M_{\odot}$. We adopt a mass-dependent conversion of L(7.7) to L(IR) with L(7.7)/L(IR)= 0.09 and 0.22 for $M_* < 10^{10}$ and $> 10^{10} M_{\odot}$, respectively. Based on the new scaling, the SFR-$M_*$ relation has a shallower slope than previously derived. Our results also suggest a higher IR luminosity density at z ~ 2 than previously measured, corresponding to a ~ 30% increase in the SFR density.

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arXiv2017

A High Space Density of Luminous Lyman Alpha Emitters at z~6.5

We present the results of a systematic search for Lyman-alpha emitters (LAEs) at $6 \lesssim z \lesssim 7.6$ using the HST WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallel (WISP) Survey. Our total volume over this redshift range is $\sim 8 \times10^5$ Mpc$^3$, comparable to many of the narrowband surveys despite their larger area coverage. We find two LAEs at $z=6.38$ and $6.44$ with line luminosities of L$_{\mathrm{Ly}α} \sim 4.7 \times 10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$, putting them among the brightest LAEs discovered at these redshifts. Taking advantage of the broad spectral coverage of WISP, we are able to rule out almost all lower-redshift contaminants. The WISP LAEs have a high number density of $7.7\times10^{-6}$ Mpc$^{-3}$. We argue that the LAEs reside in Mpc-scale ionized bubbles that allow the Lyman-alpha photons to redshift out of resonance before encountering the neutral IGM. We discuss possible ionizing sources and conclude that the observed LAEs alone are not sufficient to ionize the bubbles.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2016

A massive, quiescent, population II galaxy at a redshift of 2.1

Unlike spiral galaxies such as the Milky Way, the majority of the stars in massive elliptical galaxies were formed in a short period early in the history of the Universe. The duration of this formation period can be measured using the ratio of magnesium to iron abundance ([Mg/Fe]), which reflects the relative enrichment by core-collapse and type Ia supernovae. For local galaxies, [Mg/Fe] probes the combined formation history of all stars currently in the galaxy, including younger and metal-poor stars that were added during late-time mergers. Therefore, to directly constrain the initial star-formation period, we must study galaxies at earlier epochs. The most distant galaxy for which [Mg/Fe] had previously been measured is at z~1.4, with [Mg/Fe]=0.45(+0.05,-0.19). A slightly earlier epoch (z~1.6) was probed by stacking the spectra of 24 massive quiescent galaxies, yielding an average [Mg/Fe] of 0.31+/-0.12. However, the relatively low S/N of the data and the use of index analysis techniques for both studies resulted in measurement errors that are too large to allow us to form strong conclusions. Deeper spectra at even earlier epochs in combination with analysis techniques based on full spectral fitting are required to precisely measure the abundance pattern shortly after the major star-forming phase (z>2). Here we report a measurement of [Mg/Fe] for a massive quiescent galaxy at z=2.1. With [Mg/Fe]=0.59+/-0.11, this galaxy is the most Mg-enhanced massive galaxy found so far, having twice the Mg enhancement of similar-mass galaxies today. The abundance pattern of the galaxy is consistent with enrichment exclusively by core-collapse supernovae and with a star-formation timescale of 0.1-0.5 Gyr - characteristics that are similar to population II stars in the Milky Way. With an average past SFR of 600-3000 Msol/yr, this galaxy was among the most vigorous star-forming galaxies in the Universe.

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arXiv2016

The MOSDEF survey: AGN multi-wavelength identification, selection biases and host galaxy properties

We present results from the MOSFIRE Deep Evolution Field (MOSDEF) survey on the identification, selection biases, and host galaxy properties of 55 X-ray, IR and optically-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) at $1.4 < z < 3.8$. We obtain rest-frame optical spectra of galaxies and AGN and use the BPT diagram to identify optical AGN. We examine the uniqueness and overlap of the AGN identified at different wavelengths. There is a strong bias against identifying AGN at any wavelength in low mass galaxies, and an additional bias against identifying IR AGN in the most massive galaxies. AGN hosts span a wide range of star formation rate (SFR), similar to inactive galaxies once stellar mass selection effects are accounted for. However, we find (at $\sim 2-3σ$ significance) that IR AGN are in less dusty galaxies with relatively higher SFR and optical AGN in dusty galaxies with relatively lower SFR. X-ray AGN selection does not display a bias with host galaxy SFR. These results are consistent with those from larger studies at lower redshifts. Within star-forming galaxies, once selection biases are accounted for, we find AGN in galaxies with similar physical properties as inactive galaxies, with no evidence for AGN activity in particular types of galaxies. This is consistent with AGN being fueled stochastically in any star-forming host galaxy. We do not detect a significant correlation between SFR and AGN luminosity for individual AGN hosts, which may indicate the timescale difference between the growth of galaxies and their supermassive black holes.

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arXiv2016

The Evolution Of The Faint End Of The UV Luminosity Function During The Peak Epoch Of Star Formation (1<z<3)

[Abridged] We present a robust measurement of the rest-frame UV luminosity function (LF) and its evolution during the peak epoch of cosmic star formation at 1 50% completeness in order to minimize these systematics, we still find that the faint-end slope is steep and getting steeper with redshift, though with slightly shallower (less negative) values ($α=-1.55\pm0.06$, $-1.69\pm0.07$ and $-1.79\pm0.08$ for $z\sim1.3$, 1.9 and 2.6, respectively). Finally, we conclude that the faint star-forming galaxies with UV magnitudes of $-18.5<M_{UV}<-12.5$ covered in this study, produce the majority (55%-60%) of the unobscured UV luminosity density at 1<z<3.

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arXiv2016

Q1549-C25: A Clean Source of Lyman-Continuum Emission at $z=3.15$

We present observations of Q1549-C25, an ~L* star-forming galaxy at z=3.15 for which Lyman-continuum (LyC) radiation is significantly detected in deep Keck/LRIS spectroscopy. We find no evidence for contamination from a lower-redshift interloper close to the line of sight in the high signal-to-noise spectrum of Q1549-C25. Furthermore, the morphology of Q1549-C25 in V_606, J_125, and H_160 Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging reveals that the object consists of a single, isolated component within 1". In combination, these data indicate Q1549-C25 as a clean spectroscopic detection of LyC radiation, only the second such object discovered to date at z~3. We model the spectral energy distribution (SED) of Q1549-C25, finding evidence for negligible dust extinction, an age (assuming continuous star formation) of ~1 Gyr, and a stellar mass of M_*=7.9x10^9 M_sun. Although it is not possible to derive strong constraints on the absolute escape fraction of LyC emission, f_esc(LyC), from a single object, we use simulations of intergalactic and circumgalactic absorption to infer f_esc(LyC)>=0.51 at 95% confidence. The combination of deep Keck/LRIS spectroscopy and HST imaging is required to assemble a larger sample of objects like Q1549-C25, and obtain robust constraints on the average f_esc(LyC) at z~3 and beyond.

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